England 2021-22 Ashes Tour

Yeah England positively whizzing through their overs .
Best keep Joe Root on for a few hours

Edit: Talk about ridiculous, telegraphed field settings

Australia close on 221-1, England clawed back the over-rate somewhat with only 1 over short, but that's with an extra 30 minutes.
After the early wicket of Harris to a good catch by Buttler of the bowling of Broad, they had to wait almost 57 more overs before the only other wicket of the day, as Stokes removed Warner, out in the 90's for the 2nd successive match, he did play with more fluency than his previous innings, unlike Labuschagne who made a painstaking 95 not out, from 275 balls. Marnus was given 2 lives both by Buttler. Bairstow anybody ? but Jos is undroppable, but so were the 2 chances he put down. In all the Aussie pair added 172 runs, giving their side a foundation where they can accelerate on day 2 when temperatures are set to soar as the England bowlers tire.

Labuschagne survives yet again.
Caught behind but it's a no ball .

Finally........

He is out

2nd Test Adelade Day 2 Close
Australia 473-9 dec (150.4 overs) Labuschagne 102 Warner 95 Smith 93 Carey 51 Starc 39 no Neser 35 Stokes 3-113 Anderson 2-58
England 17-2 (8.4 overs)

Play was called off around 40 minutes before the scheduled close, due to the threat of lightning, with light rain falling. England had already lost both openers, & they will be hoping of a repeat from Root & Malan of their 2nd innings Gabba partnership. England's bowlers toiled away in the heat, but took some punishment from the Aussie lower order.

Cards on the table moment here, I have waited long enough for this little rant .

Upon the team selection announcement at The Gabba and the Joe Root decision to bat I have to be honest neither were my primary concern.
The logic in either or both being as debatable as it may all I could ask myself were the same questions I do in most test matches.......

Are England going to get enough runs? Suspected answer: No
Are England going to collapse again? Suspected answer: Probably
Are England going to exhaust as much of the encyclopedia entitled 'Lets find every conceivable method of self inflicted batsman misery imaginable'. Suspected answer: Highly likely
Are the batsmen going to compound their lack of runs and ludicrous collapse by then going out to field and dropping catches just to make the mountain even more difficult for their bowlers to climb? Suspected answer: I have been watching England for too long haven't I?

Forgive me but I am far less concerned by tosses and team selections at the moment.
If England continue to make low scores in the 1st innings of tests they are going to struggle.
In Australia big 1st innings runs are crucial.
Every time England go out to bat these days I am almost expecting them to be 30/3 or 40/4 in the blink of an eye.
And on the rare occasion where the openers put on a decent partnership I then sit there and wait for the inevitable collapse from the middle order instead .

Yes Snooks, you really have been watching England for too long.
Would you like some counselling?
Errr no thanks I am already having CBT.
No not Cricketing Bunglers Therapy.
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy.

Anyway 17/2 quickly making a good batting wicket look like a minefield.

I'm off to hide behind the sofa again from 4am onwards .

It was inevitable that wickets would fall at the end of 2 days in the field. Burns got a good ball, but time is running out for him, he's been racking up an impressive amount of ducks over him last few matches, a recall for Crawley can't be far off. Hameed's shot looked sloppy, but it gave the impression that it stuck in the surface & he mistimed it.
It may be a different skill but the poor catching is a reflection of the lack of confidence in many of the batsmen. Although ill discipline has leaked into the bowling, with 2 wickets overturned due to no-balls.
Robinson & Anderson were accurate & gave little away. Broad was decent, Stokes was asked to bowl with aggression in the absence of Wood & he went for runs, Woakes was disappointing, & Root bowled with better economy than Leach, but you suspect they could've attacked him more, if required.

Woakes plays solely because he might get 25-30 runs. We all know by now he is ineffective outside of England. Root spoke about using Stokes badly in the first test and then bowls him 25 overs in the first innings of the second in a role that takes the most toll on his body!

Major error not having Mahmood in the squad, high 80’s and swings it. Knowing Wood can’t go back to back Mahmood would’ve given England some diversity in the bowling attack.

Yes the run rate was down for most of the innings, it just made me think how Root aside I doubt any of the England players could play a very long watchful innings.

Lunch on day 2.
Malan and Root still batting
And no it isn't in a follow on .

140/2.

Kiss of death .

I give up.